Fatigue is Associated with Reduced Participation and Health-related Quality of Life Five Years After Perimesencephalic Subarachnoid Haemorrhage:A Multicentre Cross-sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether fatigue is associated with participation and health-related quality of life 5 years after perimesencephalic subarachnoid haemorrhage. DESIGN: Multicentre cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Forty-six patients with perimesencephalic subarachnoid haemorrhage. METHODS: Fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale, participation (frequency, restrictions, satisfaction) with the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation, health-related quality of life with the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale-12, symptoms of depression and anxiety with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and coping with the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. RESULTS: A total of 46 patients were included (63% men, mean age 50.4 ± 9.4 years), with a mean time of 4.7 ± 1.6 years after perimesencephalic subarachnoid haemorrhage onset. Fatigued patients (33%) had worse participation (p < 0.01) and health-related quality of life (p < 0.001) than non-fatigued patients, and more often had hypertension, depression, anxiety and emotion-oriented coping (p < 0.05). Fatigue severity was inversely and independently (p < 0.005) associated with participation frequency (B = –3.62), satisfaction (B = –4.54), having restrictions (odds ratio = 2.48, 95% confidence interval 1.079–5.685), and health-related quality of life (B = –0.19), adjusted for depression, anxiety, and/or hypertension. CONCLUSION: Five years after perimesencephalic subarachnoid haemorrhage, one-third of patients still reported fatigue, which was associated with worse participation and health-related quality of life. Future studies should examine whether these patients may benefit from rehabilitation aimed at fatigue. LAY ABSTRACT A subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a subtype of stroke. Of all patients with SAH, approximately 10% are diagnosed with non-aneurysmal perimesencephalic subarachnoid haemorrhage (PM-SAH). PM-SAH is generally considered a benign form of SAH; however we have previously found that one-third of patients with PM-SAH are still fatigued 5 years after PM-SAH. Fatigue may be related to reduced participation and health-related quality of life, both of which are considered important rehabilitation outcomes. Therefore, this study examined whether fatigue is associated with participation and health-related quality of life after PM-SAH. The results showed that, 5 years after PM-SAH, fatigued patients had worse participation and quality of life than non-fatigued patients. In addition, more severe fatigue was associated with worse participation, regarding frequency, satisfaction and restrictions, and with worse health-related quality of life. Further studies are necessary to determine whether patients with PM-SAH may benefit from rehabilitation aimed at fatigue

UNMET NEEDS, COMMUNITY INTEGRATION AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS FOUR YEARS AFTER SUBARACHNOID HAEMORRHAGE

Objective: To assess long-term unmet needs in relation to community integration and employment status 4 years after subarachnoid haemorrhage. Design: Four-year follow-up of a prospective cohort. Patients: Sixty-seven patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage. Methods: Employment status was assessed and the Community Integration Questionnaire-Revised and Southampton Needs Assessment Questionnaire were used. Results: The mean age of subarachnoid haemorrhage onset was 52.5 years (standard deviation (SD) 10.7 years) and 39% of subjects were male. Four years after subarachnoid haemorrhage, 23.9% of subjects had symptoms of depression, 43.3% had mild cognitive impairment, 67.2% were unemployed and 67.2% had one or more unmet needs. Most subjects reported a need for information (59.7%). Unemployed patients had more unmet needs than employed patients (p=0.034), but no independent relationship was found. The community integration score was moderate (mean 15.1; SD 4.4). A higher level of unmet needs was independently related to a lower level of community integration (B=-0.25; p=0.018), adjusted for age and comorbidity. Conclusion: A large proportion of patients have unmet needs and are unemployed 4 years after subarachnoid haemorrhage. There is an inverse relationship between unmet needs and community integration. Future research should investigate whether dealing with information needs during rehabilitation contributes to better community integration in these patients

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textabstractObjectives: To compare cognitive and emotional outcomes between patients with aneurysmal and perimesencephalic subarachnoid haemorrhage and norm scores. Design: First measurement in prospective cohort study. Patients: Sixty-seven patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage, were divided into perimesencephalic (n = 8) and aneurysmal (n = 59) subarachnoid haemorrhage groups. Methods: Patients completed several questionnaires within the first year after haemorrhage. Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, fatigue with the Fatigue Severity Scale, and objective cognitive functioning with the Trail Making Test. Glasgow Coma Scale scores were collected at hospital admission. Results: Perimesencephalic patients had lower depression (p = 0.006) and lower fatigue scores (p = 0.029) and were faster on the Trail Making Test A (p = 0.002) than aneurysmal patients. No differences between the groups were found on Trail Making Test B (p = 0.112) and presence of fatigue (p = 0.105). Compared with norm scores, aneurysmal patients scored significantly worse on all outcomes, whereas perimesencephalic patients scored worse on Trail Making Test B (p < 0.008), fatigue (p = 0.073) and presence of fatigue (p = 0.058). Conclusion: Perimesencephalic patients may experience problems in complex cognitive functioning and fatigue. In this respect, they have similar sequelae as aneurysmal patients, which may interfere with daily activities and social participation. These findings are of clinical relevance, as perimesencephalic patients often are discharged from hospital without long-term follow-up